The product -- ShareNow, an open-source application from ShareMethods LLC -- allows users to organize a large, shared and scalable library for sales and marketing materials, which was just what NMS and Evolution wanted to offer to customers.

Some 282 NMS companies that buy NMS components and technology for use in products aimed at the mobile communications and convergence markets now use ShareNow to find the information they need, Babbitt said. "We went from deciding to use it to having the whole intranet up in five weeks."

The biggest satisfaction so far, she said, is that customers can use ShareNow with little training. "It's just easy for them to find stuff" such as price lists, brochures and product information sheets, she said.

At Evolution, Herron was the administrator for the Salesforce.com's tools used by employees when company officials last year projected that its sales would double in 2006. That meant that Evolution's customers would require easier access to sales and marketing information for its key product -- an employee benefits debit card that is tied to an employee's flexible spending account for various medical expenses.

Using AppExchange, Herron found the ShareNow add-on Evolution needed. "It was like a 'eureka!' light bulb moment for me. Now, all of our partners log in [to the portal] and they download" what they need. About 80 health care benefits administrators have begun offering the Evolution debit card to their customers.